forgetfulness
June 8, 2009
READ: Romans 1:18-25
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! (v.25).
I can be a forgetful person. Sometimes it’s minor stuff, like losing track of my car keys or my wallet. And I have been known not to return a phone call or pay a bill on time.
I wish it weren’t true, but sometimes I even forget God—and I bet I’m not alone. It doesn’t happen every day, but there are mornings when I wake up and go about my day, forgetting to acknowledge God and to remember all that He’s done and is doing for me and others. I forget that He’s the “great Shepherd” who wants to lead and guide me to a life of peace and joy (Hebrews 13:20).
Let’s face it, most of the time it’s not that God simply slips from our minds. We forget God because we’ve made other things (good or bad) more of a priority than walking with Him. Preoccupied with lesser things, there is little time, if any, spent thinking of His ways and plans.
Forgetting God is not merely an issue of spiritual amnesia. It can also be the result of idolatry, where we believe and act as if we need someone or something more than we need Him. None of us are beyond making the foolish exchange Paul spoke of—trading “the truth about God for a lie” and worshiping “the things God created instead of the Creator Himself” (Romans 1:25).
Worshiping the creature over the Creator is not the way we were designed to spend our days. If left unchecked, it will break our fellowship with the only true Source of life.
While making a speech in Athens, a city steeped in idol worship, Paul reminded his audience that it’s in the Creator God that “we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Don’t forget, choosing lesser gods will keep us from the only true One. —Jeff Olson
What lesser gods have you allowed to steal your time with God? What happens when you forget about Him?
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Loading ...a life remembered
June 8, 2009
READ: Psalm 139:1-16
That we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. —2 Corinthians 1:4
Daddy, help me.” Those were the last words Dianne and Gary Cronin heard their daughter say as she struggled to breathe. Kristin, 14 years old, died suddenly—just 2 days after saying she didn’t feel well. A strep infection attacked her body on Thursday. By Saturday, she was pleading with her daddy to help her.
Before Kristin died, I was scheduled to speak at her family’s church in Soldotna, Alaska. In God’s timing, I stood before the congregation the day after her funeral.
Kristin was one of those vivacious teens who loved Jesus and lived for Him—and whose sudden death leaves us with a million questions.
Because I went through a similar loss of my own teenage daughter a few years ago, I was able to offer some advice to this stunned and grieving church. First, I said, we must recognize God’s sovereignty. Psalm 139:16 reminds us that Kristin’s life was the exact length God intended. Second, I asked the church never to forget her family. Whether it’s 2 months or 5 years later, the family will never “get over” losing Kristin. They will never stop needing Christians who care and remember.
In times like this, don’t forget that God is in control and that He wants us to be a comfort to others. — Dave Branon
In every desert of despair God has an oasis of comfort.
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